Company says this was part of its global discovery strategy in greenfield and brownfield projects.

The company now has a 1% NSR royalty on Rio Tinto's Janice Lake copper-silver project in Saskatchewan.

Drill rig arrived at Cerro Quiroz, as crews prepare to recommence drilling at the project, located approximately 8km of SolGold's flagship Alpala deposit.

The company has suspended production at its Bozymchak mine amid post-election unrest in the Central Asian nation.

The multi-year permit encompasses 100 reverse circulation and 20 diamond drill hole sites.

Newcrest says it had seen increased interest from North American investors in the gold sector over the last six months.

Local copper production fell by 2.5% in August to 193,852 tonnes compared to July.

Both the company and the union are trying to avoid a strike at the deposit.